Strawberry Shortcake Loaf with Olive Oil and Roasted Strawberries

Strawberry Shortcake Loaf made with olive oil and roasted strawberries is a show stopper, especially with the orange-scented whipped cream on top. Yet it comes together so easily, without even a stand mixer for the cake.

You might also enjoy my roasted grapes recipe.

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I originally developed this strawberry shortcake loaf or shortbread cake in 2014 for a recipe contest. I treasure this recipe not only because it's a mouthwatering dessert celebrating strawberries but also because my late son, Gregory Lee, helped me fine-tune the flavors and then stepped in to photograph the beauty shots.

This strawberry loaf cake has a lovely lemon-yellow hue and the ruby-red strawberries provide a punch of juiciness, color, and flavor. When topped with fresh strawberries, more roasted strawberries, and the orange scented whipped cream, I think you’ll agree that this orange olive oil strawberry shortcake can stand on its own against any buttery biscuit version.

Why you'll love this recipe

• It's a celebration of strawberries. Whether your season is fleeting or long, like ours is in California, this dessert celebrates the sweet candy-like flavor of a summer strawberry in its raw form and roasted.
• The cake is made with olive oil, which is a wonderful fat to bake with - if you've never tried it, it's a revelation. In many countries, including Italy, Spain and Greece, cakes are frequently made with olive oil as the fat. The oil makes the batter really easy to prepare and delivers a super moist and luscious cake.
• Orange and strawberry is a magical combination of flavors - I know from my strawberry jam with pineapple guava that the two flavors marry beautifully!
• And what can I say about the beautiful transformation of a fresh strawberry to a roasted one - it is magical. My recipe makes more roasted berries than you need for the one cake and that's on purpose. Once you taste the roasted strawberries, you'll want to use them on your yogurt, ice cream or just eat a whole bowl of them. I promise!

Ingredients you'll need and substitutions

I've divided up the ingredient information by roasted strawberries, shortbread cake, and whipped cream. Keep in mind, the roasted strawberries can be made ahead of time, and just whip the cream while the cake is baking.

Roasted Strawberries

• Fresh strawberries: if you buy your strawberries at the farmers' market, I'd buy a 3-pack of strawberries to have enough for roasting and slicing fresh for serving
• Sugar: Even if you're strawberries are super sweet, just a touch of sugar helps to create a lovely sauce and a bit of caramelization. Out of granulated sugar? Try brown sugar instead.
• Balsamic vinegar: The vinegar adds flavor, color and creates a beautiful sauce with the sugar and strawberry juices. Pomegranate molasses would be a good substitute.

Strawberry Shortcake Loaf

• Buttermilk: I like the tang of the buttermilk in this shortbread cake. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, make some. Just use a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. It will look a bit curdled but that is exactly what you want. Will work perfectly in the strawberry loaf, I promise!
• Orange liqueur: I used a wonderful Spanish citrus liqueur called 43. But any orange liqueur will do the trick - Cointreau, Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, etc.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good extra virgin olive oil - not a light oil. But choose a mild-flavored one, not a super peppery one. Taste your oil - you will be able to tell! Check out this primer on how to bake with olive oil from my friend Laura Bashar if you want to know even more! And if you just happen to have an orange-flavored olive oil, use it. It will be wonderful.
• Orange zest: Note my pointer in the recipe and step-by-step directions below about mixing the zest into the sugar to help it really blend in to the batter well.
• Fresh strawberries: These are for serving the cake, not for mixing into the cake.
• Roasted strawberries: You will have these already made by the time you prepare this strawberry shortcake batter!

Orange-scented Whipped Cream

• Heavy whipping cream: I also tried half non-dairy whipping cream mixed with heavy whipping cream and it still came out perfectly. So if you can find non-dairy whipping cream at your market and you are lactose-intolerant like me, give it a try!
• Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract, not anything artificial.
• Orange liqueur: As mentioned above, any brand you have will work or you can leave it out since it won't be "cooked" out of the whipped cream.
• Powdered sugar: If you don't have any, use granulated sugar, it will also work.

How to make this recipe!

Roasted Strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and place cut strawberries on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar; pour on strawberries and toss to coat evenly.

2. Place baking sheet in the preheated oven. The strawberries should be done in about 15 minutes but check at 12 minutes. If they are bubbling and just starting to break down, they are ready.

3. Will yield about 1.5 cups of roasted strawberries with some syrupy juice. Can be made up to a day ahead of time. Refrigerate until use.

Strawberry Shortcake Loaf

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare your loaf pan. Place dry ingredients in a small bowl, whisk together and set aside.

2. Unless you are using orange-flavored olive oil, place the sugar in the medium-sized bowl along with the orange zest and use your hands to incorporate the zest with the sugar.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the sugar, olive oil, and eggs vigorously for a minute or two. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and liqueur and whisk until incorporated again.

4. Add the dry ingredients about ⅓ at a time just until incorporated. I used a whisk to start, then a wooden spoon to finish.

5. Spoon half of the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Measure out a generous ½ cup of your roasted strawberries and spoon about half of those on top of the batter.

6. Spoon most of the batter over that strawberry layer, then the rest of the strawberries, then the final bit of batter over those.

7. Using a chopstick, make an figure 8 pattern in the batter moving down the pan. This movement will help to “marble-ize” the strawberries into the batter.

8. Bake at 350°F for 40 – 45 min. The cake will brown up nicely. Use a toothpick or longer wooden skewer to test doneness or just touch the middle. When it is nearly firm to the touch, it is done.

Whipped Cream

While the cake is cooking, prepare the whipped cream. I like to whip my cream by hand but you can also use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer. Place all the ingredients in a chilled bowl (unchilled will work too). Whip to stiff peaks but watch closely if using the stand mixer - it will only take a minute or two to turn into whipped cream. If you don't pay attention, you might end up with butter!

How to Serve Strawberry Shortcake Loaf

To serve the cake, place a slice on a plate, spoon on some roasted strawberries, then a dollop of whipped cream, then fresh strawberries, a sprig of mint and enjoy.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs

1. Make the roasted strawberries ahead of time. They will last in the refrigerator for several days.
2. No time to make the roasted strawberries? This shortcake loaf is still terrific as a strawberry shortcake base. Just add fresh strawberries and whipped cream. But I'm urging you to try roasting strawberries - you'll be glad you did!
3. I used a fancy pan with an orange pattern in it. (see how lovely it looks with powdered sugar on it?) BUT - a plain loaf pan is fine. Do not purchase a special pan - your 8- or 9-inch loaf pan will work great. If it's an 8-inch and the batter is a bit deeper, it may take an extra couple minutes vs the 9-inch size. Just FYI.

Other Roasted Fruit and Olive Oil Cake Recipes

Roasted Grapes

Roasted Fruit with Pomegranate Molasses

Pear Cake with Olive Oil

Hamantaschen Cookies

Banana Muffins with Roasted Strawberries

If baking with olive oil or roasting fruit is new to you, I hope you’ll give these techniques a try. They are easy and adaptable to other uses in your kitchen. The roasted strawberries, for example, work as a topper to your morning yogurt or evening bowl of ice cream. They also marry with goat cheese for a terrific bruschetta topping with a sprinkling of basil leaves on top.

P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!

(Thanks to the late Gregory Lee for taste-testing and assisting with photography for this post. His taste buds and visual genius are missed every minute of every day.)